Takeshi Hayato
Takeshi Hayato is the gym leader of Ironclad City and gives out the Iron Fist Badge when defeated. Backstory An Ironclad native, born and raised, though he was the child of two immigrants from the Kanto region. As such, he was raised not only with the local sense of pride and spirit, but also with the idea that he had to work extra hard because he was the first of a new generation. Since he was a child, it was his goal to join the Ironclad Police Department; he would often see officers patrolling the streets on motorcycles, zipping through traffic as they chased smugglers, and on television after raids on majors organizations and to him they seemed like superheroes. His parents were happy to encourage his enthusiasm, even going so far as to buy him a komatan when he was ten and a motorcycle when he was sixteen. A year later he finally accomplished his goals and was admitted into the ICPD. As one can imagine, Takeshi was very enthusiastic about his job, quickly earning him a reputation both on the force and within the community. He had no qualms about ratting out his fellow officers or staying up late to work on a case - for him, any amount of work was worth bringing justice to Ironclad. Occasionally, he would be reprimanded for his impulsive methods, but for the most part his arrest record spoke for itself. Unfortunately, even with officers like Takeshi around, many of the other cops - as well as other city officials - were on someone else's payroll. There was a lot of money to be made from smuggling, insider trading, and larceny on all levels, and a high-power position could make you almost untouchable. Of course, Takeshi strongly believed that no one was safe from the long arm of the law, so when rumors began circulating that the city's gym leader was in someone's back pocket, he ignored all warnings from his superiors and simply challenged the leader face-to-face. The then current gym leader was an older man, but he was skilled in pokemon battling and even more so in manipulation. He attempted to convince Takeshi that he was innocent, but our hero would have none of those lies. When the gym leader refused to come quietly to the police station, Takeshi was forced to use his pokemon to bring him in. The two battled mercilessly and the gym leader clearly had the intent to kill or, at the very least, maim, but in the end Takeshi managed to subdue him and take him into custody. Further investigation of the the gym leader's papers proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had some ties to a big business, though said company had covered their tracks well enough, as no names could be found on any of the documents. With the position of gym leader now open, many of the people of Ironclad believed that Takeshi should take the job. Personality Takeshi is a very idealistic person, but he's far from naive. He has a strong moral code and absolutely nothing can convince him to break it, though it sometimes causes him to be somewhat rash and over dramatic. He's a family man and he cares a lot about making his parents proud. Attitudes towards things and people For the most part Takeshi's a friendly guy. He knows a good number of people in the city, despite its high population, and he'll always say "hi" to whoever he passes in the street. Even if someone's rude to him he usually won't care, but he has absolutely no patience for anyone who would insult his friends and family. He cares deeply for his city and loved ones and will do anything it takes to protect them. Behaviors and Habits He can be a little too serious for his own good sometimes, especially when it comes to matters of police business, and many jokes aimed at him will go completely unnoticed. Appearance Takeshi has a compact, muscular build, a square face with a strong jawline, and thin, almond shaped eyes. His black hair's cut in a generic, somewhat pretty-boy style - a little shaggy, with swooping bangs falling just above his eyebrows. Though it's generally not visible, he has a pretty jarring scar on the right side of his neck, which he earned during his battle with the previous gym leader. He generally dresses pretty casually in just a plain colored shirt, dark pants, and a pair of boots or sneakers, but when training or battling he always dons a specific outfit. It's not because he wants to put on a show, as many other gym leaders do, but just because he wants to be able to really get into the fray without putting himself in too much danger. The outfit consists of a green plastic breastplate over a plain black shirt, matching green gloves and knee-high boots, a chunky silver belt which helps keep the breastplate attached, black pants, and a pair of red goggles, to avoid getting any debris in his eyes. No matter what he's wearing or doing, he always keeps a red neckerchief tied over his scar. Pokemon Gym Team Bisharp: (Sentai) Takeshi's first pokemon, given to him on his tenth birthday by his parents. Like his trainer, Sentai is a protector of the weak with a flair for the dramatic, perhaps even more so than Takeshi when it comes to the latter. Scizor: (Stark) Takeshi didn't get Stark until after he became a gym leader, after trading a wandering trainer a gear for the her scyther. It was easy to obtain a metal coat afterwards since most trainer items are produced in Ironclad. Stark can be somewhat of a brat who would rather do things on his own terms, so he tends to rub Takeshi's more "noble" pokemon the wrong way. Escavalier: (Lancelot) No matter how clean the people of Ironclad try to keep their city, when you have more than half the population living in one area, it's bound to get a little grimy, so bugs are a problem everyone's learned to cope with. Takeshi captured Lancelot as a kid, when the pokemon was still a Karrablast. He was only able to evolve Lancelot later in life, after meeting a passing trucker who owned a Shelmet. Lucario: (Sirius) Originally a police pokemon, shared between various officers, Sirius was given to Takeshi as a gift when he left to force to become a gym leader. Sirius is rather stoic and can often be a little on edge, since he's used to a more hectic lifestyle. Durant: (Alloy) Though normally indigenous to the mountains in and around Eureka, it's not completely uncommon for Durants to make their way down to Ironclad. When captured they're usually used for heavy lifting in factories, but Takeshi decided to take one in himself and train it. Personal Use Gallade: (Aramis) Growing up, Takeshi had had a friend whose mother was a pokemon breeder, specifically breeding psychic, fighting, and steel types for the factories and businesses in the area. Naturally, the ralts line was a popular choice as they could be used in both settings, so she would often have a few extra eggs that were unsellable. Rather than releasing the young pokemon she would give them away to neighborhood children. Takeshi received a male ralts from her and the two quickly became close friends. Klinklang: (Bevel) Takeshi's second pokemon, and the first that he captured on his own. Wild Klinks were, and still are, rather common around the inner city, so Takeshi easily captured the little guy while visiting his father at work. Inspiration Takeshi Hondo was the first Kamen Rider while Hayato Ichimonji was the second. Super Sentai is a genre of Japanese shows that involves superhero teams, such as Kamen Rider or the Ultra Series. Power Rangers would be an American example. Stark comes from Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. You should know who Lancelot was. Sirius is the bright star in the night sky, and is know as "the dog star". An alloy is a substance made of two or more metals. The name Bevel comes from the bevel gear. Aramis is one of the Three Musketeers. Fun Facts! * Takeshi's only been a gym leader for about a year now, so he still keep in close contact with his comrades from the ICPD. He has a rather troublesome habit of getting involved in their affairs and doing "vigilante work", as some see it. * When he's not sparring, taking challenges, or out on patrol, Takeshi can be found wandering the streets on foot taking pictures. Had he not been able to join the police force, he would have become a freelance photographer. * Takeshi's got a lot of respect for Carrie, the gym leader of Gaston Town, because of her drive to better her city and herself. He'll often use her as an example when talking about the justice system or just turning over a new leaf in general. Terms of Use As a Gym Leader and an NPC character, he can be used freely; however, it is important to closely follow his character profile, unless of course it's something that's meant to be silly and out of character. Category:NPC characters Category:Gym leaders